Forever
by missy hallan
Summary: After graduation, the trio puls Ginny are living together happily. But, after the unthinkable happens, Harry and Ron fight to regain the happiness the four once had.
1. Prologue

Forever

By: Lucky5

Prologue

Hermione tore the sheets off the double bed in the tiny bedroom she'd shared with Ron for about a year now. Ron himself was on the other side of the bed helping her change the sheets. Despite the fact that she could magic the bed into being made, Hermione preferred to do some things the Muggle way by sheer force of habit.

"I don't see why you invited Ginny to come live with us," Ron complained as he grabbed the fresh sheet and began to fit it over his corner of the bed.

"Ron, for goodness sake, she's _your _sister. And she has nowhere else to go besides home. You know how hard it is to be on your own after graduation."

"Still," Ron grunted as he heaved his end of the bed up and made a rather sloppy hospital corner, "A one bedroom flat does not have enough room for four people. The three of us are cramped enough as it is. Besides," he added as Hermione shoved him out of the way and re-made his corner, "Now I have to share the futon with Harry."

"Would you prefer Harry and Ginny shared it? If you stay in here with me that's the only option we have." 

"Hermione, don't even joke."

"It's not like they'd go for it anyways," said Hermione. As the two of them threw the quilt on the bed, Hermione faced Ron her expression now serious. "Look, I know things are tight, but I'm up for that promotion. If I get it, then we'll have enough money to get a place of our own."

"I know. But you shouldn't have to support us. I've been saving, you know," he said with a grin, "Although it hasn't gone too well."

"Why am I not surprised," she retorted with a teasing smile.

"I've just spent almost all of it on this."

With that said, Ron dug into his back pocket and extracted a tiny box. Hermione's hand flew to her mouth. He opened it to reveal a plain gold wedding band.

"I know it's not much," he said his ears beginning to turn red, "But I got one for me too. I've been wearing it on a piece of string around my neck since I got it," Hermione was still staring agape at him, "If you don't like it," he added quickly, but Hermione cut it off.

"No, Ron it's beautiful. But, Ron, are you..."

"Right," Ron got down on one knee. Hermione's eyes threatened to overflow with tears. "Hermione Granger, Neville was right. You are a girl. You're my girl. Will you marry me?"

"Of course I will, you prat," she said with a slight sob as she sank to the floor to kiss him.

"Sorry, are we interrupting something?"

Ron and Hermione's heads snapped around to see Harry and Ginny standing in the doorway, grinning like idiots.

"Why, yes, you are," said Ron angrily. But, his face softened, "I was just proposing to Hermione here."

"I know, we heard," said Ginny in a rather excited voice. 

"She just got here a few minutes ago and we decided to come and see what you two were doing. We heard the whole thing," Harry explained. 

"And, I just want to add that tonight, you two can have the bedroom all to yourselves. I'll take the floor," said Ginny.

"Actually, I'll take the floor," said Harry, "It's your first night here. I want you to be comfortable."

Ginny smiled at Harry, whose cheeks turned a slight shade of pink. Ron's expression was a mixture of amusement and anger, while Hermione beamed at the two of them.

"I think we should break out the good food tonight," said Harry.

"You mean we get Kraft Dinner Deluxe?" said Ron sarcastically.

They all laughed for a few minutes before moving on to the kitchen, where they cooked an excellent meal of Kraft Dinner Deluxe with frozen fries on the side. The celebration lasted well into the night. Harry and Ginny had run off to the store to buy a bottle of champagne, which disappeared quickly.

***

The next morning Ron woke early. Hermione was fast asleep, held safely in his arms. He breathed in the scent of her hair and sighed softly.

"'Mione," he breathed, "I'll never let anything happen to you, I promise. I'll keep you safe forever."

~*~

disclaimer: I don't own JK's characters in any sense. I'm not making any money here, so don't sue me ^_^

Authors notes: Well, there we go! New HP story on ff.net Don't worry, I haven't abandoned my other one. It's still in the works. As a matter of fact, part three is done, I just have to type it, send it to my beta, edit it and then post it. Anyways, I want to thank my beta for this story Seldes Katne, who is one of the Sugar Quill staff members. It's a great site! Go check it out ^_^ Hope you liked this, please leave a review! I'll try and get the next part up as soon as I can ^_^


	2. The Owl

Authors Notes: Alrighty, here's part two. Not much to say here. I just hope you like it. Please leave me a review ^_^ If you should want to email me for any reason, other than to flame, go right ahead. My email is missy_hallan@hotmail.com Enjoy! 

Part Two: The Owl

Ginny groaned involuntarily and rolled over. The quilt on the futon was wrapped around her legs in a wrinkled mass, and her pillow was nowhere near her head. She opened her eyes slowly in an attempt to make the light less harsh on her eyes. It didn't work. She shut them again and rolled them onto her stomach with another groan. 

She most definitely wasn't the only one awake. She could hear the kettle whistling along with someone's voice while they moved cups around.

"Morning," she heard Harry say from kitchen. 

She opened her eyes and saw Harry, standing on the other side of the counter that separated the kitchen from the living room. He had a mug in one hand, the kettle in the other. It was at this point that she realized just how tiny the flat really was. There was barely room in the living room for the futon and a small dining room table. The kitchen was very narrow, as was the hall that led to the bathroom and tiny bedroom. But there was a certain cozy atmosphere about it, and Ginny felt at home already. 

"D'you want a cup?" Harry asked.

Ginny nodded in response and begrudgingly sat up. She rubbed her sore head and managed to stumble over to the counter. Harry had already poured her a cup, and she began to drink it immediately. Harry continued on. Apparently, he was a morning person. She guessed it was because of all the early morning Quiddich practices.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Just fine, thanks," she said with a yawn. Harry smirked slightly, but didn't comment on it.

"Well, I was going to make breakfast, but I'm afraid we're out of everything except jam. And Kraft dinner of course."

Ginny giggled slightly, gradually waking up.

"Why don't we go get some food from the corner store?" she suggested.

"Sounds good. It's only a short walk. I'll just get dressed."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Ginny chuckled.

They finished off their tea quickly and got ready. Ron and Hermione still hadn't emerged from the bedroom. Ginny and Harry decided to leave them alone for the morning, and headed out alone together. It was just before ten; the feeling of rain was in the air. They trudged along the street through small puddles in silence for a while before Harry spoke. 

"Hey, how about we eat out for breakfast? I've got a bit of extra spending money. We can bring them back something."

"Sure," said Ginny, "I haven't eaten out in ages."

"Well, there's a good place about a block from here. I like to go there and get a cup of tea every now and then. It's a great place to think," he said. "Or job hunt."

"Right, you just got laid off. I'm sorry."

"Forget it. It's no big deal. Just some Muggle job. I'm sure I'll find another. Actually, I have an interview tomorrow."

"That's great Harry! What's it for?"

"Actually, 'interview' isn't the best term. I'm trying out for the Canons. Their Seeker took a Bludger to the head. She'll most likely never play again. Sad really."

"That's horrible. But, I guess it's good too in a way. You're a shoo-in, Harry. I think you're a better seeker then she was," Ginny gushed. 

Harry turned slightly pink and looked down at the ground.

"Well, don't tell Ron and Hermione. I don't want to get their hopes up in case I don't get it. If I do, this could mean big changes for us. I'll be making a lot more money."

"That's great. But, does that mean you won't need me around anymore?" Ginny asked, a touch of sadness in her voice.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked. He stopped completely and turned to face her. Ginny was now the one to look at her feet.

"Well, you won't really need me to pay rent anymore. I'll just be taking up space."

"Ginny," Harry said seriously. He grabbed both her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "We're not going to kick you back to the Burrow. We were never just using you for extra money. I want you around, and so do Ron and Hermione. Besides," he added, his voice now lighter, "Ron and Hermione 'll probably want to be moving out once they get a place of their own, and I don't want to live by myself."

Ginny laughed

"I suppose you wouldn't, although the extra room wouldn't hurt."

"Yeah, extra room wouldn't hurt. The flat is a bit over run."

They both laughed slightly for a minute before they got to the cafe, which was at the end of the street. However, as they took a seat in a booth, Harry spoke again, this time more serious.

"Just why did you leave the Burrow anyway? You're mum would've had you there had you wanted to stay."

"Well, I left for much the same reason you three did, I imagine. You all lived there for six months before you decided to pack up and leave. I left because," she paused for a moment as she tried to figure out how to word her emotions, "well, I just didn't feel right staying there. It was so quite and lonely. It felt so strange without my brother's there. I felt lonely in a way. But, I also feel like... I don't know. It's like I'm being left behind or something. Everyone else moved out, while I was still home. I just couldn't stay. When I met Hermione for lunch that day and she asked me if I wanted to move in with you three, I just couldn't say no."

"I can understand that I guess," said Harry. "I left the Burrow because I just felt like I was mooching off your parents. I decided I was a grown wizard, and should be living on my own. Ron and Hermione just kind of came along. But I'm very glad they did. Otherwise, I'd never have paid the rent."

Although he was laughing quietly, Ginny could tell he was holding something back. He gazed out the window, which was now streaked with rain. Although he was sitting just a short distance away, he seemed very far off.

"What'll you have?"

They both jumped slightly as a waitress surprised them.

"Um, toast and marmalade please," said Ginny.

"I'll have bacon and eggs."

The waitress wrote this down and walked away. Harry turned to Ginny.

"Looks like we're stuck here unless we want to get drenched. By the looks of this storm, we could be here awhile," he said.

"We should've left Ron and Hermione a note," said Ginny.

"Probably not. I'm betting they won't come out of their room until noon," Harry said. A moment later, he blushed as he realized the implications of what he'd just said.

"Don't even get me thinking of what they could be doing in there," Ginny giggled.

"Sleeping?" Harry suggested innocently, "After all, that's what beds are for."

Ginny just shook her head at him as the waitress brought them their breakfast.

~*~

Contrary to popular belief, Ron and Hermione had indeed gotten out of bed. They were now dressed and sitting on the futon, which they had folded into a couch. They were both stretched out the long way, and Hermione was leaning back against Ron. They remained silent for sometime, just watching the rain run down the windowpane. It wasn't very often that they got time alone like this.

"Poor Harry and Ginny. Where ever they are, they're most likely stuck there until this rain lets up," mused Hermione

"Well, too bad for them. They ran off without us, didn't they?"

"Are you actually mad at them?" Hermione asked, annoyance rising in her voice.

"No, I'm glad they left us alone. Gives us time to talk about things," said Ron, narrowly avoiding an argument. It was something he'd gotten quite good at after years of practice.

"Umhumm," Hermione murmured.

They didn't do too much talking though. At that moment a huge screech owl banged loudly at their window. They both jumped to their feet, and Ron opened the window for it. 

"Poor thing," Hermione said as she headed for the cupboard to get some owl pellets, "It's horrible weather to be flying in."

Ron was unrolling the piece of parchment from the owl's leg. 

"It's from the Ministry," he said, his voice slightly nervous.

Hermione walked over, leaving a few split owl pellets on the counter. She took the parchments in her hand, which trembled slightly. She knew this was about her promotion. Her and Ron's entire future depended on what this letter said. She almost didn't want to open it. Ron sensing her hesitation, spoke up,

"Come on. It's not gonna bite," he joked, although his voice was unusually tense. Hermione unrolled the parchment...

~*~

Ginny and Harry ran up the stairs to the flat, leaving a trail of water behind them. After waiting nearly twenty minutes, the rain had shown no sign of letting up. When the waitress started giving them dirty looks, they had decided to make a run for it. They stopped at the top of the landing, panting and laughing. 

"_That_," said Ginny with a laugh, "was absolutely horrible."

"Yeah. I'll say," said Harry, laughing as well.

Neither of them spoke then. It seemed as though they were each waiting for the other to speak, but no one did. Harry stared down at Ginny. Her cheeks were flushed due to their sprint home, and her red hair was now dark with wetness and plastered to her head. He supposed he didn't look much better, although how they looked didn't matter to him at the moment. He couldn't stop staring at her. It was like he was frozen, staring into her eyes. He saw her swallow, and wondered just what he was doing. 

"Ahhhhhh!"

Hermione's scream could be heard from outside the flat. Harry and Ginny looked away from each other, the moment lost. Ginny glanced at Harry, then at the door. He got the message and opened it. They walked in on a scene Harry had only witnessed a few times, and never quite like this. Hermione had apparently jumped into Ron's arms. Her legs were wrapped around his waist, and he was holding her to him tightly as they kissed, totally oblivious to Harry and Ginny's entrance.

"What just happened?' asked Ginny.

Ron and Hermione flew apart and looked at Harry and Ginny. They both seemed somewhat flustered.

"You two are making a bit of a habit of ruining the moment, aren't you?" said Ron. Harry smirked at him.

"I just got my letter from the Ministry about my promotion," said Hermione excitedly, ignoring Ron's wisecrack.

"And..." Harry prompted.

"I got it!" she squealed.

"Ahhh!" Ginny squealed, and she ran over to hug Hermione. "Congratulations!"

"That's great!" said Harry. He clapped Ron on the back. He and Ginny then switched and he hugged Hermione while Ginny hugged Ron.

"Oh, I'm so happy for you two!" said Ginny.

"So," said Ron, wrapping an arm around Hermione's waist, "how does it feel to be Personal Assistant to the Minister of Magic?"

"Fantastic," said Hermione. She turned to Ron and smiled. He did the same.

"Shall we break out the Kraft dinner deluxe again?" asked Harry.

"No. I think we can afford a night out, seeing as I just got promoted," said Hermione, "And you two should go get dried off before you catch your death."

"All right," said Ginny, "but I'm getting the first shower."

She then dashed off down the hall.

"Hey!" Harry cried and ran after her, leaving Ron and Hermione alone.

They were silent for a moment, still embracing each other, before Ron spoke.

"Things are finally looking up for us."

"I know, I can't believe it. It just seems too good to be true."


End file.
